King says Diana's brother's memories coloured by grief

British King Charles has defended himself against criticism from his sister Diana's brother, Earl of Spencer, in an upcoming book titled "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister." The book allegedly contains remarks made by Earl Spencer during a heated argument with King Charles in the days following Diana's death in 1997. Spencer claims that King Charles suggested they would soon forget about Diana, during a conversation where he allegedly said, "we'll forget her soon enough."

Buckingham Palace released a statement on Wednesday, stating that grief could color memories and recollections of events, even years after such a loss. Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, while she and her lover Dodi al-Fayed were fleeing from paparazzi. Earl Spencer alleges that the reported statements were made during an argument about whether Diana's children, princes William and Harry - then 15 and 12, should walk behind her coffin at her funeral.

Earl Spencer claims he told Charles that Diana wouldn't have wanted her sons to go through such a traumatic and public experience, while Charles reportedly insisted that his sons should participate, citing his presence at the funeral of Lord Mountbatten as an example. When Spencer pointed out that Lord Mountbatten was 30 when he died, and he was only 36 when Diana died, Charles allegedly responded with anger and contempt for Diana, saying, "we'll forget her soon enough!"